2024/10/14 by Jennifer L. Mezzapelle, Anna‐Kaisa Reiman, Anna Reiman · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Intimate Partner and Family Violence #Sex work and related issues #Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/ejsp.3122
openalex publication_date 2024/10/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
ABSTRACT Laypeople often assume a typical sexual harassment incident involves a cisgender man directing sexual advances toward a cisgender woman. Alternatively, when people learn that a transgender woman was sexually harassed, they tend to assume she experienced gender harassment. How are harassment claims that do not match these expectations evaluated? In two preregistered studies, participants ( N = 630 and 638) read a social media post from a transgender or assumed cisgender woman who experienced unwanted sexual attention or gender harassment at work. Regardless of harassment form, transgender (vs. assumed cisgender) women were more likely to be rated as complainers and as overreacting (Studies 1 and 2) and elicited less empathy (Study 2). Additionally, participants in both studies were less likely to label gender harassment (vs. unwanted sexual attention) as sexual harassment. How sexual harassment claims are evaluated may have serious consequences for the (lack of) support claimants receive when speaking up about harassment.